As I Descend
by PrometheanA293
Summary: War is hell. Until his deployment into the Human-Covenant War, these were only words to Private Omar Henderson. He will soon find out, however, that the phrase is a severe understatement. War is not Hell. It is something much, much worse...laying dormant, waiting to swallow his squad mates and himself in the throes of the Battle for Cleveland.
1. As I Descend Chapter 1

_Deep Breaths._ I slowly shook in my seat of the Pelican, beyond apprehensive of what would await my comrades and myself when the bay doors opened once more. My MA5B rattled ever so softly as it bounced up and down in my hands. I tried to follow my own advice, but it seemed that my emotions had other ideas.

Warily, I looked around at the other troops in the transport, and was disappointed to see that I was the only one who was physically distressed. There were eight of us total in the squad, all of them either stone-faced, or sharing laughs. As usual, I was the outcast of the squad, only spoken to when I needed to be.

"Hey. Cool your jets, kid. You're not gonna be any good to us if you can't even hold your rifle up." The guy in the seat next to me, who's name I remembered from roll call at briefing as Stitsky. What his first name was, I had no idea. He chuckled and placed a firm hand on my shoulder. "It's..." He paused, looking up to the roof of the Pelican as he tried to recollect my name. "Henderson, right? Omar?"

I nodded, silently pleased in a juvenile manner that someone had taken notice of me. He nodded in return. "Name's Stitsky. Bernard Stitsky, but my friends call me Bernie. Not sure if you knew that already, but you do now."

"Good to meet you, Bernie." I said, the trepidation in my voice apparent.

"I'll tell you what, Omar. You seem like a good kid. What are you, 20? 21?" He began.

"18."

"18, and you're fighting for the survival of humanity. That's pretty damn admirable. Anyway, you seem like a good kid. This is my second stint in the Corps, so I'm probably the most knowledgable one in this ship when it comes to on-the-ground combat with the Covies. Stick with me, and you'll be fine."

"You've done this before?" I asked.

"Yeah. I signed up and did my first tour back in '43. I did my tour, met my wife, and we got married. After we had our first kid, I got out, went to Canus to try and settle down, as much as someone can in this fucked galaxy. I think you know how this ends."

He was right. I visibly shuddered as I recollected the day that the news reached my home planet of Reach that Canus, one of the outer colonies, was glassed following a brutal Covenant siege. I was only in third grade, then. It was one of the first pieces of anti-Covenant propaganda pushed my way, and it hit home. As of a few months ago, I could relate to his tale.

 _If either of us die here, no one would know. No family would know because there's no families to tell._

I thought to inquire further about Stitsky's family, but our conversation was interrupted by the crackling of our helmet radios. _"All right, all right, all right, Ladies and Ladies. This is your captain speaking. Unfortunately, we've hit some turbulence. As is their fun nature, the Covies can't let us have nice things, and they've gone and made a mess of our LZ. We're going to have to make a turn-around and--"_ The pilot's (whose name I had yet to learn) satirical report of our predicament was interrupted by the rocking of the Pelican. I felt the strong urge to vomit, but held it in for the sole purpose of keeping what little stature I had with the squad intact. _"OK, screw what I just said. Looks like we're gonna have to recieve the invitation to party. Lock and load, people. It's about to get loud."_

 _"What?"_ I looked over to Stinsky. He looked with a small smirk.

"She's saying we're going down. Layman's terms, Rookie: shit's about to get real. Baptism by fire, eh?" He said, reaching over to bump my shoulder. That was the moment the Pelican rocked and turned into a flaming spiral. The bay door was flung open to a sea of plasma and carnage below. The next urge to vomit was soon calmed by the crushing feeling of the ship crashing into Cleveland's pavement. Thus began my descent into the Hell that was the Covenant War. Into the Hell that awaited me within the throes of the Battle of Cleveland.


	2. As I Descend, Chapter 2

My vision was blurry as I rose up onto my hands and knees from the ground. Although my hearing was fuzzy, the firing of human weapons and Covenant rang through alike. Fighting my daze, I crawled, struggling to find a weapon to replace the one that I had lost during the crash. As my vision cleared, I gazed on in horror as a squad of Brutes slashed at defenseless marines and lifted them in the air as trophies before hurling their lifeless bodies away.

It didn't take long before one of them spotted me crawling amongst the carnage. It briskly walked over and lifted me by the throat.

 _Great. Not even 10 minutes on the ground, and I'm going to die for a cause that I was never able to uphold. I'm going to be nothing more than a statistic with nothing to show for it._

The Brute reared his arm back, ready to take off my head with his bare hand. At the last moment, four shots rang out. Following the first, the Brute lost its metallic grey helmet. After the subsequent three, it lost its energy shield and the back of its skull. Without so much as a whimper, the large beast fell forward on top of me, suffocating me in a mass of leathery skin and fur (and more unpleasant, painful sensations I chose not to address.) My savior rushed forward, kicking away the dead Brute's Spiker. They attempted to lift the heavy corpse off of me, but required my own help in doing it. As my vision finally adjusted, it was revealed to me that Stitsky was the one that had thwarted my death, or perhaps delayed it.

He slipped his sidearm off of his hip and tossed it to me. "Where'd all your weapons go?" He asked amidst the gunfire.

I shrugged, and gestured to the wreckage. "Duck!" I heard a female voice call out. Stinsky and I dropped into a crouch position. Over us, a hail of rounds burst from the unmistakable sound of a Battle Rifle, followed by the sound of another large Brute crying out in rage before falling with a loud thud to the ground.

We rose, seeing that there was a cloaked Brute, dual plasma rifles at the ready. We turned and saw that our savior was none other than the pilot of our wrecked Pelican. "When I say to strap in, you _strap_ _in_ , Marine." She told me. "We need to get out of here. Rendevous with a nearby squad that, you know, still exists."

I felt a sting at her words, but said nothing. I simply nodded with Stitsky and allowed the pilot, whose nametag read 'Rivera', to lead us into a dark alley. She directed us forward, allowing us to pass in front of her while she provided covering fire with her long-range weapon. On the way to the alley, I swiftly reached down and picked up a fully-loaded MA5B. I checked the pouches on my uniform, and became pleased to see that my ammunition was still on my person. I turned, and fired three bursts at the nearest targets. Within seconds, we slipped into our darkness and quickly found a door to a nearby building. Being the only three to survive, there was no reason for us not to sprint away from the massacre.

"Okay. Where's the nearest squad?" I asked, heaving from the sprint.

"According to the mission schematics, we were supposed to enter first in order to clear this area's 'stragglers' to give a place for the larger strike team to enter," she performed air quotations for the word 'stragglers'. "Apparently, it got a little thick just prior to our arrival. Company B is supposed to land half a click away from here, and rendevous once that the area was sealed off. We need to make our way there, and help them with their side of the objective. Command acknowledged the Mayday call, and probably informed B of what happened. They're set to stagger their arrival to ours by a couple of minutes, so we have..." Rivera trailed as she glanced down at the watch on her wrist. It was an antiquated digital watch with a black face and teal numbers. "2 minutes, exactly."

Stitsky scoffed. "We'll never make it in time if we hoof it."

I looked to the ground, formulating a plan. Finally, I looked up once more to face the duo. "What if we didn't have to? What if we hitched a ride?"

"That's all fine and dandy, but this isn't a damn video game, rookie. It's not like there's a 'Hog just around the corner or something."

"True, but there's plenty of available rides when you know how to hotwire them. We just need to poke our heads out and see what catches our eye." I said, my own confidence surprising me.

I was delving further and further in, setting myself for a trip further down the rabbit hole. Sooner than I would like to have admitted, it no longer became a question of _if,_ but _how_ _soon._

I could imagine the elated voice of my DI if he saw me like this. _Today's the day that Hell's frozen over._ _Henderson's finally a Marine!_


	3. As I Descend Chapter 3

"Apes on our six!" Rivera called out from the backseat, a newfound Battle Rifle in hand. I was behind the wheel, Stinsky's shotgun in my lap. He sat in the passenger seat of the battered sedan that I had managed to hotwire. It was pure luck that we were able to find a car in working order so close by, and that I was able to remember how my crooked uncle would start one.

Stinsky hefted the stock of his borrowed MA5B, putting the sights of the weapon square in the center of the pair of Choppers that had set their respective sights on their prey. Despite my attempts to avoid the craters in the road, both Stinsky and Rivera found it near impossible to place an accurate shot on the pilots of the vehicles. "Keep it steady, Henderson!" They would both command at various times. My nerves were shot as I continued to make the effort of keeping my eyes on the road and our pursuers.

"Look, kid. If you have an idea about how to deal with these creeps, we're all ears. We're a tad desperate, if you haven't caught on." Rivera pleaded.

Stressed near my breaking point, my head began to throb. The fruits of my labor came in a glowing ball. "Hey. Either of you have any plasma grenades?"

"Yeah. I got two. What about them?" Stinsky informed.

I eyed the Choppers once more through the rear mirrors, their projectiles flying through the street and burning the back of our car. I had a plan, and it made me pray to God that it wouldn't kill all of us in the process.

"Hold on to something. It's about to get...crashy." I said.

I slammed on the brakes as hard as I could. Everyone, including myself, was sent flying forward. Stinsky's shoulder was thrown into the dashboard, and Rivera was slammed into my seat. "Quick! Hand me a grenade!" Stinsky lobbed one at me.

I wasted no time in priming, then chucking it out the window, watching as it satisfyingly stuck to the plating on one of the machines. The Brute piloting the vessel let out a gasp of shock just as I furiously stepped on the gas and propelled the car forward. His comrade looked over and dove out of his seat a split second before both machines were engulfed in a large, bright blue explosion.

Rivera recovered herself, then looked down the scope of the BR. She pulled the trigger once, easily dispatching the charging Brute. I didn't bother look back to confirm the kill, only drove as Rivera ordered. Stinsky lightly punched me on the arm, chuckling. "That was ballsy, kid. Do us a favor, though? Next time you come up with a plan that could get us all killed, give more of a warning?"

"Ain't that the truth. At least give me the go-ahead to start seeing my life flash before my eyes." Rivera chimed in.

I said nothing, not wanting to let show just how sure I was we were going to die then.

"How far out are we, Rivera?" Stinsky asked.

"60 meters. Just another minute or two. Step on it, Henderson." She reiterated. I did as she commanded, nearly burying the needle as I navigated the shattered, empty streets of Cleveland. Every so often, we would come across a Covenant patrol or scrambling civilians. It pained me to admit we couldn't afford to stop for either.

We reached our destination just as the Pelican reached Covenant firing range. Unlike our LZ, the Covenant interception squad was outfitted with a pair of Hunters. Making the nearest one my target, I pressed the gas pedal as hard as I could and drove directly into the colony of worms.

The car rolled onto its side as a result of the brute force, but we were prepared. We dove out, jumping over the side that offered the most protection. The plasma rounds whizzed over us, and the cry of the remaining Lekgolo Hunter rang throughout the air.

"Damn! He's going to charge! Move from the car!" Stinsky called out. The three of us rushed out of the way in order to avoid the collision.

Shards of glass and metal flew through the air, some small bits of the former causing lacerations along my uniform and skin. I placed a death grip on Stinsky's weapon, not wanting to be defenseless like I was earlier. The moment I reached a concrete pillar, I stopped, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.

 _You're alive. You're here. God doesn't deal in randomness. Make it count._

I opened them once more, rolling out into the open ground in a crouch as a Brute saw an opportunity to fire. He charged his Plasma rifle, placing him in ample range of the weapon in my hands. I swiftly pulled the trigger, dropping the alien foe. I scanned the surroundings, and saw that my comrades had found the higher ground in the second floor of a battered office building. They had taken a sniping position, shouting orders into radio for me to join up with them. I didn't hesitate to comply, sprinting as hard as I could to their position. Plasma fire rang around me, complemented by the ferocious roar of the enemy. I was forced to use my weapon only once on a Grunt in my path.

Soon after, however, I entered the building and ran up the stairs. I called out 'Thunder', waiting for the pair to call out the subsequent 'Lightning'. Once the lightning called out, I hurried into the room and stood guard at the door.

"What's the plan?" I asked, my tone a clear indication of my fatigue.

"Well, rookie, it's quite simple from here. We make sure that the incoming squad doesn't die, and you run bouncer duty. If it isn't human, it doesn't enter this room. We're gonna have to defilade pretty soon here, so get ready to hoof it." Rivera called out, lowly whispering for the approval of the plan to Stinsky halfway through. He nodded, and she finished.

"Yes, ma'am." I called back, leaning my shoulder against the doorframe, eyes locked on the only access point to our room. Never before had I been so afraid to die as I was then, but I steeled myself. I remembered something that my uncle had told me when I got into a scrap with some friends during my middle school years. He told me, _I don't care how scared you are, boy. If someone asks you to watch their back, you damn well better do it. When someone puts you on the line like that, your own insecurities and fears don't matter. Someone's asking you to fight alongside them, you're the least important person in that foxhole. You got that, kid?_

Never before had those words rang so true for me. I hefted my shotgun, and prepared for Hell to be delivered on my doorstep.


	4. As I Descend Chapter 4

It didn't take long for the Covenant to try to overrun our position, as we had planned. I wasn't sure how I felt about being used as a so that our comrades could have more time to mount their own forces, but I didn't voice these concerns. It was as I heard someone say during Basic training, "We're nothing more than a gun and a meat shield against the Covenant. That's all those ONI bastards want us for!"

 _Of course, that guy was shipped on a Section 8, so I'm not sure if tha_ _t_ _could_ _b_ _e taken to heart._

I heard the fervent cries of Brutes and Grunts as they rushed up the stairs. I unclipped a grenade from my belt and pulled the pin as soon as I saw their shadows on the stairwell wall leading into the hallway. I counted in three Mississippis before I hefted the grenade with as much precision as my shivering arm would allow. To my own surprise, the device hit the wall and entered the stairwell. Looking away so as to not blind myself, I was assured that the weapon had hit its mark by the explosion and the subsequent thuds. My trigger finger itched as I watched for any more movement. I was certain that there was none, until a burst of plasma forced me to duck down. I looked down the sights of my shotgun to see that there was a single Brute in blue armor stained with blood leaned against a wall. He let out a bloodcurdling war cry, and heaved his weapon aside to rush at me.

I took a deep breath, trying not to panic. I fired again to no avail. Momentarily shocked, I raised my weapon once more. Two more rounds were fired, the sound of the gun causing my hearing to go fuzzy. The Brute was quickly closing the distance between us, and I knew my chances of being pummeled to death were increasing by the second. If I let the Brute get any closer, he would surely tear me apart and catch my comrades unawares. I couldn't risk that.

Abandoning my hiding place, I sprinted into the hallway to meet the Brute head-on. He was rushing on all fours, slobber trailing on the floor. His eyes burned red with hatred, and his gaze let me know just what he intended to do with me.

I screamed, but not out of fear or desperation. It was a primal cry, a bloodthirsty screech that numbed out my conscience, and my apprehensions of taking life to preserve my own. I pulled the trigger quickly, three times, when I was close enough to see the ridges in the Brute's leathery skin.

Three gunshots echoed, all of the blasts hitting their mark. In a matter of seconds, the Brute's head, save for its hanging jaw. I rolled out of the way as the velocity from the Brute's lifeless body hurled to the wall at the end of the hallway. Once it stopped, I made the mistake of glancing back at the top half of the alien's head.

Ducking back into the room, I looked down at my shaking hands. I tried reinforcing my actions, reminding myself I acted out of necessity. _It was him or me. Wasn't it?_ I knew that was true, but it still didn't make me feel any better.

While many of the people I saw in the movies and propaganda films would cheer and revel in the act, I found the need to vomit acutely present. There was no revelry in my heart.

I turned away from the alien and hurled whatever I had that morning. Once there was nothin left to expel but bile, I crawled back to my post.

"Henderson. Are you good?" Rivera said, turning her head with Stinsky to ensure that I wasn't dead.

"Yeah." I weakly replied, wiping a bit of spittle away from my lips. "I'm good."

Without another word, the two took to providing covering fire for the company that had just put boots on the ground. I sat against the wall, taking a moment to recollect myself. Realizing that this brought a serious risk to the sanctity of our position, I shoved it down, and kept watch.

A large explosion from behind me sent me off-balance and to the ground. Disoriented, I felt a pair of arms lift me off of my stomach and back onto my feet. I turned to see a grim-faced Stinsky, who looked back at me. Rivera ran past us, checking our corners with her weapon. "Defilade to the next room, kid. That damn Hunter is not making our lives any easier."

We ran to the closest apartment on our right, its door closed. Stinsky took point, sliding the door open while the remaining two kept our weapons trained for whatever may come at us from inside. He did it quickly, raising his rifle as soon as he stepped in. The only thing that was in the room, next to the balcony and a dead Marine, was a SPNKR launcher with spare ammunition.

"Huh. That's unusually convenient." Rivera said, nodding me and Stinsky forward.

I rushed over to the balcony at the far end of the apartment with Stinsky. He looked to me, then down to the SPNKR rocket launcher. "You know what to do, kid."

I nodded, slinging the rifle over my shoulder and lifitng the heavy rocket launcher to my shoulder. I had not used such a weapon since basic training, and had not the slightest bit of confidence that I would be able to land a hit with it.

Regardless, I placed my eye over the aiming reticle. An auto-lock feature dominated the display, and I led it to the desired target. The Hunter (its partner dead nearby) was wreaking havoc for the marines down below, raising the urgency of the situation. I waited for it to turn around, knowing that I had but one shot at this. If I missed, we would lose the element of surprise. The Hunter turned, exposing its orange back to me. With all of this on my shoulders, I fired, watching the smoke trail of the rocket as it found its target.

It jerked, then fell to the ground with an orange mist flying into the air. I took a deep breath, then sat down on the ground with the rocket launcher in my lap. Stinsky called me up immediatley after, however. "We're going down there, kid. After all, what good is rolling out the red carpet if you can't meet the guests of honor?"


End file.
